Balanced spirit

It’s easy to see that many of us are living out of balance. When we are not in balance, we feel it, hear it, and sense it. Our return to balance can only truly occur when we place the needs of the soul on a par with our physical needs. We have moved our focus away from the pearl, the inner self, to the shell, the outer self.

From our deepest core we are interconnected - souls living in a balanced cyclic wisdom that has existed since eternity. Circadian rhythms govern our waking and sleeping, our time for activity and rest, hunger and appetite. Thus our yearning for balance is completely natural, for our soul and body seek only to live in harmony with the rhythm of the natural world around us, that is, in complete balance.

To everything there is a season, nature has the natural wisdom to balance itself if left alone, however we have consciously and unconsciously intervened, losing not only our own balance but upsetting the balance of the universe in the process.

We can observe harmony in the mandala and magic circles of the indigenous people; in the Chinese yin and yang; in the eight-fold path of the Buddha; the Hindus have the wheel of life, Islam depicts harmony in the crescent moon and star and Christianity the balanced cross.

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Our habit is usually to pay attention to the sound and not enough to the silence, as if it is unnatural to do so; we fill up the gaps of calm with deafening music, dull conversations or the loud TV. However, it is only a matter of time before everything begins to change and although out of confusion and uncertainty we may vacillate for some time, we eventually are forced to adapt, juggle, harmonize and balance! For every sound arises out of silence and buries itself in silence. We were born out of silence and will merge into the silence.

We cannot remain in any extreme state for too long, we have to find our centre. In fact, we learn more about living in balance when we are out of balance. The first step is awareness and the second is acceptance. This juggling act of trying to find our balance is a life long lesson. In the serenity prayer, we ask God to help us accept the things we cannot change and the strength to change the things we can. This embodies our daily struggle as well as reminds us of how to succeed and be agents of positive change.

Balance is very important; it is about walking the tightrope of life on all levels: emotional, spiritual and physical, not simply being able to manage my daily timetable. One needs enough discipline and attention, and yet ease and a nature that is simple and flowing. Too much stiffness and one can fall, and not enough makes the crossing even more dangerous.

There is no motion without stillness and no stillness without motion. Emotion is known as energy in motion. And so instead of riding the roller coaster of emotions, sit still, centre yourself inside and harness the energy within and you will feel a profound sense of peace, power and balance.

With the practice of meditation we re-learn how to harmonize with the world around us. In fact, the beauty of meditation is to be able to feel the stillness amidst the chaos and touch the silence surrounded by sound, to begin to see light where we previously only saw darkness and to give love where anger once prevailed.

It’s Time… to realize that spirituality is full of paradoxes; therefore let go, start your journey of acceptance and you will feel in control. Be productive in service and you will find your peace. Check your comfort and ‘uncomfort’ zones to find what you can relieve and grow from. Finding balance is also like learning to ride a bicycle… at times you may topple… until the balance becomes completely natural!